You're right, although I remember Franco having a good 1994 campaign. Finding someone to hit behind Frank seemed to be a yearly chore for the White Sox. Sammy Sosa hadn't discovered Flintstone vitamins, yet. Ventura didn't like it (so he hit fifth), and George Bell was too old. John Kruk waited until his batting average was higher than Mickey Mantle before he decided to quit, and Chris Sabo was just plain awful. Danny Tartabull hit home runs, but provided little else. Lyle Mouton was memorable only because his name was Lyle Mouton (Hawk insisted on trying five or six different pronunciations of his last name).

The Sox didn't finally find a good compliment for Thomas until Albert Belle came along, but that was right before Frank started to slip (coinciding with the arrival of Jerry "The Tinkerer" Manuel in 1998), and even that lasted only two seasons before Belle ended up in Baltimore. Magglio Ordonez was probably the best cleanup hitter Frank played with, but Frank wasn't quite the same by the time Magglio was protecting him, as age and injury had begun to slow him down.

I guess I should have been more clear, because I believed at the time that the Sox should have re-signed Franco for 1995, specifically because he was such a great complement to Frank. I think we pretty much agree on everything else.

Frank had a great 1997 (batting title, second-best OPS+) with Belle protecting him.

Then he had a strange two-year "slump" in 98 and 99, which would have been career years for most other players. He deserved the MVP in 2000, missed most of 2001, had an .834 OPS in 2002, and, although plagued by injuries, never had a sub-.900 OPS season in his remaining seasons with the Sox.

Put Franco behind him for 95 and 96, and don't tinker with him in 98 and 99, and I think his already first-ballot HOF career would be even more ridiculous.

__________________The universe is the practical joke of the General at the expense of the Particular, quoth Frater Perdurabo, and laughed. The disciples nearest him wept, seeing the Universal Sorrow. Others laughed, seeing the Universal Joke. Others wept. Others laughed. Others wept because they couldn't see the Joke, and others laughed lest they should be thought not to see the Joke. But though FRATER laughed openly, he wept secretly; and really he neither laughed nor wept. Nor did he mean what he said.

No disrespect to Cabrera, but he has Prince Fielder protecting him. For much of Frank's peak, he lacked a true threat behind him to keep from being walked. Look at his 1994 season with Julio Franco protecting him: a 212 OPS+.

Perfectly illustrated by the at bat last night where the Rangers put Miggy on to load the bases only to see Fielder walk up and unload them with a low laser to the gap in right center...

Frank may have been among the "least lucky" great players in recent years.

Look at what factors well outside by others may have cost him:

1. He played his peak years in one of the more pitching-friendly parks in the majors:

2. He was on pace to break Roger Maris' single-season HR record in 1994;

...

Griffey had two more home runs than Thomas when the 1994 season shut down, and Matt Williams had five more home runs despite playing home games in Candlestick. (Which reminds me of when people used to complain about Candlestick hurting Giants offense, to which old-timers would reply, "didn't hurt Mays or McCovey") But, yeah, who knows what numbers Thomas would have put up in 1994, along with Williams and Griffey and Albert Belle? That may have turned out to be the career year for Kenny Lofton as well. And Kirby Puckett near the end of his career.

Griffey had two more home runs than Thomas when the 1994 season shut down, and Matt Williams had five more home runs despite playing home games in Candlestick. (Which reminds me of when people used to complain about Candlestick hurting Giants offense, to which old-timers would reply, "didn't hurt Mays or McCovey") But, yeah, who knows what numbers Thomas would have put up in 1994, along with Williams and Griffey and Albert Belle? That may have turned out to be the career year for Kenny Lofton as well. And Kirby Puckett near the end of his career.

Don't forget that Tony Gwynn was hitting .394 at the time of the strike. That's another thing I wish we could have seen play out.

Don't forget that Tony Gwynn was hitting .394 at the time of the strike. That's another thing I wish we could have seen play out.

Yeah that's my biggest regret as a baseball fan -- being robbed of a real chase at .400. Still kind of shocked that Ichiro never had a .380-90 year where he made a run at it, but I guess .372 and 262 hits wasn't too shabby back in '04.